Leon Coreth

One gnoll, one lizard-folk and two halflings, all pointed towards the city and walking forth. Leon cocked his head to the side and considered for a moment. Go with the group, face the dark evil looming ahead as so confidently said by the vanishing elf, or stay in the forest and eke out a solitary life? The town ahead, aye, but what of the guards?

It had been somewhat of a surprise when he had found himself on the outskirts of the verdant forest. Generally, when one had been thrown into jail for poaching the plump local deer, one did not expect to find themselves in a different location upon waking from an uncomfortable nap. Wherever this was, Leon did not want to spend another sojourn in a cold cell with stone floors and drafty barred windows.

Quickly checking over the proffered bow and arrows, running a hand over the ash stave and a finger over the fletching, Leon picked the equipment up and trotted forward to catch up to his other companions.

[[ - wakenings complete?]]

You make your way over to the guards, who eye your group suspiciously. One of them, dressed in slightly different armor, speaks. "State your business."

[[It's time to introduce checks! This time it's a Charisma check! To see if you can convince the guards to let you through with whatever you do or say, after writing your response, please roll a d20 and add the CHA bonus you gave your character. Write the result at the end of your post. Only one player needs to convince the guards to open up the gates.]]

Seliat Ostgood

Ah, right. Guards were everywhere worth going. Seliat studied the two who stood before him and his allies, guards who would only really determine the ease of entering the town if anything. Seliat had experience when it came to guards and talking his way both in and out of places that made him confident in his ability to convince these guards of his group's cause. Surely his group wouldn't mind. "We're simply travelers, good sir," he studied the guard calmly, slipping a lilt of tire and pleading into his response. It certainly helped that most Halflings were known for their good nature. "We're tired and looking for a safe place to eat and rest."

Roll(1d20)+7: 9,+7 Total:16

[[I didn't know whether or not I was supposed to wait for Vintage to go before I responded, and if so, I apologize and will know better for next time. Also, I took the liberty of Sel speaking with the guards, considering he has the highest charisma of our little group. I hope that's okay. ]]

[ooc: Aw dang is it too late to join this? I've played way too much DnD to not want to join in on this.]

((OOC: You'll have to wait on sarahcrates for this, but you can probably join in through other means, like being an adventurer already in the town))

((I also accidentally rolled before posting, as well as used my own d20, if that's alright))

IC:

Rythus Kytheris

Rythus eyed the guards. They were obviously professionals at guarding, standing there like melons on a stake, unwavering from their duty, much like other guards Rythus encountered in the past on his journey of being in exile. Thankfuly these ones didn't seem too weary of his or Sseira's kind, as most gurds would run them out at the mere sight of a gnoll or lizardfolk. It was a much better greeting than a swing of a steel blade to the chest or an arrow being aimed at your jugular. He stood behind the tiny man, trying to sound pathetic despite his large and feral appearance, "Yeah, what he said," Rythus said, scratching the back of his neck, "I haven't 'ad a good rest in days." Rythus gave a toothy smirk, showing much of his sharp teeth.

Roll: 5 (+3) Total: 8

Sseira Criel

The guards didn't seem to mind Sseira's reptilian form, or Rythus' large imposing stature. That was a first. Mayhaps the townsfolk wouldn't mind them as she thought they would, at least from what they can see of the guards. She cleared her throat and stepped in while Rythus was clearly butchering it, "What my big friend here is trying to say is that we're in dire need of food, drink, and a nice, warm place to stay," While she spoke, her eyes and voice gave off a pleading tone to them, "All we ask is that you allow us to pass through these gates of yours."

Roll: 17 (+4) Total: 21

The guards nodded at Seliat and shifted a bit at Rhythus' fangs, but otherwise were silent, sizing up the group. The same guard spoke again, smiling at Sseira. "How could I turn away from dire need and still call myself a guard?" He addressed everyone. "You'd be considered an odd mix for a traveling group most other places, but luckily you've stumbled across our little town. We're quite a diverse bunch, so make yourself at home. Just don't make any trouble and we'll be okay. Let us know if you run into any trouble as well." He nodded at the other guards.

They opened the gates to reveal a small city. There was a castle with a fountain in the courtyard not too far off, straight ahead, and various shops to your left and right. Before you could make out any signs, however, you were startled by a loud gasp. It seemed to have come from a robed halfling, who was now approaching the group.

"TRAVELERS! Oh dear me, we have travelers! Welcome! Welcome to our lovely city of Crosshaven! Please enjoy your stay here! Since you're new here, let me tell you a little bit about it. Here in Crosshaven, we take great pride in our diverse community, hence the name. We are a haven for all in Astraria to interact and trade. Also, we are a port city, and most of our gold comes from shipping out minerals from the mine up north just outside the city. You have come from the south gate. There are also the north, east, and west gates. The city is divided into four quadrants, with the castle in the middle, as you can see. To put it crudely, the east side is rich and the west is poor. This quadrant to your left is the lower-class marketplace, and to your right is the upper class one. The northeastern quadrant is the upper-class residential area, and the lower-class housing is in the northwestern quadrant. And... Oh dear! Where are my manners? I was so excited I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Quinlin, but you can call me Quinn. I'm what I like to call a master procurer. Anytime you need my services, please don't hesitate to ask. Now if you'll excuse me, I must be off. I was heading to an appointment with a very important person, and I musn't be late." He skips off to the east.

[[ By all means, join in! We'll find a way to get you included. First, please post your character sheet. I'll put it in my database and we can get you started!]] [[ That's okay, and you're fine too.]]

Seliat Ostgood

The halfling sorcerer couldn't resist a small grin at the gnoll's attempt to back up his cause. It was... well, cute, for lack of a better descriptor. Somewhat charming in its own, largely ineffective way. Sseria, on the other hand, seemed to be quite good at this. Sel might have told her so if given the opportunity, but having been greeted near immediately by the halfling- master procurer- Quinlin, Sel's attention was diverted from the lizardfolk. The warm welcome was promising, at least, and the information Quinn offered was very useful indeed.

When Quinn skipped off, Sel took a moment to maul over the information they had received, as well as look over his party. It was nice to see that the human ranger had decided to join them, as well as the halfling rogue. They did have quite the mix, didn't they? Sel smiled, bristling with the anticipating for adventure and learning more about his allies, even if he had been dumped here quite unexpectedly. "Any of you have ideas of what we should do first? Visit tourist attractions, try out the nearest bar?" he joked. "Also, we didn't quite give proper introductions, did we? I'm Seliat- Halfling, sorcerer, and adventurer extraordinaire."

[[ OOC: Golly, I'm constantly nervous that I'm doing this wrong. I'm so used to non-DnD rp's, I guess I'm focusing heavily on the whole roleplaying aspect, so sorry about such a long reply?? ]]

Leeda Elsmere

Leeda opened her mouth to respond but the others spoke before she had a chance. Instead she followed the others into the city, and hoped the guards wouldn't notice her. She was impressed by the view as the came into the city. She normally stayed in smaller towns to do business. She listened patiently to the friendly halfing, taking notes of where everything was in the city. "Leeda, halfing rogue. Let's find a place to stay first." she spoke up hurriedly before anybody else had a chance. She didn't offer any other information.

roll: 7 total: 7+2=9

[[OOC: Sorry for the late post, I'm not sure what to do about being allowed in! I hope my wing-it was okay. ]]

[[Hi there! I was wondering if it was too late for me to join this thing? Also I read through the guidelines and a few of the first posts and it appears that it was alright for Vintage to play with two characters, so I was wondering if that was okay for me to do as well? Also I am a bit of a newbie to the D&D world, though I have been learning much in the past couple weeks, so please bare with me.]]

Leon Coreth

Thankfully the lizardfolk lady had wrangled them all into the town in the first place. Leon had been having misgiving about having to sleep in the woods when the gnoll began baring his fangs. But now, since they were inside, the halfling with the staff had the right idea. What better to source and study the environs than a good place with mead and dark ale?

"Aye, an inn sounds good and a tavern even better." He nodded in agreement with the sorcerer. "Meanwhile," the archer gave a shallow bow in the general direction of his companions. "Leon, King's ranger at your service."

After a moment, he glanced down at his current outfit with a touch of world weary resignation and waved a hand half-heartedly. "Perhaps better to say, former King's ranger."

[[Oh ~ Crosshaven? Is there any reference to Jen William's Copper Promise?]]

((OOC: I'm just gonna throw in a streetwise check if that's alright))

IC:

Rythus Kytheris

Rythus knew he nearly got them kicked out of the town. He was never really good with anything even related with diplomatics, considering his gnoll background of kill things, talk never. Thankfully Sseira was able to make up for Rythus' fault, so they got into the town nonetheless. He was slightly surprised when the other halfling spoke upp suddenly, but he didn't mind the sudden outburst.

Once the talking of all the others had ended, Rythus nodded in agreement and said "Yeah, I could use good drink or two." He offered a small bow before saying, "The name's Rythus Kytheris. Gnoll tribe exile and wanderer. If anyone needs help with anything involving brute strength, I'm your man." As he saw Sseir gazing off seemingly into the distance, he gave her a small nudge.

Sseira Criel

Sseira didn't pay much attention to the group once they entered the town. She caught most of what Quinn said, but she was looking in the area around them, confirming the areas that Quinn mentioned by the looks of it. She listened to the others while she continued to look around, like names and such but was snapped iut of it once Rythus nudged her.

"Hm? Ah, er, yes, I would agree. I've been looking around the area for points of interest." She put her hand to her chest, and began to introduce herself, her silky yet rugged voice apparent, "My name is Sseira Criel, and unlike Rythus here, I chose to leave my swamp, in search of new experiences, such as this. Hold on a moment while I look for our inn." Sseira searches the area around them once again, attempting to find the inn based on Quinn's information.

Streetwise check Roll: 11 (+3 wis) Total: 14

Glancing at the various shops around the two quadrants, Sseira sees clothing, magic, blacksmith, and general stores, and it doesn't take her long to find what she's looking for, and also to notice that Quinlin was right from the quality of each side. The eastern inn lies right next to the group, and the tavern a little behind that. The inn is called Lap of Luxury, and the tavern's name is not visible from her current location. The western tavern is attached to another inn, located in the southeast corner of the town, too far to make out the name.

[[All of you are fine, don't worry. Throwing in checks is fine too. In fact, it's better than me having to ask for it.]] [[Not at all! I've never even heard of it... xD]] [[Please go ahead and post your character sheets :) Two is fine!]]

Seliat Ostgood

"Very pleased to meet all of you," Sel said, smiling. "Definitely an interesting bunch. I think that'll be an asset rather than a fault, in this case." They all seemed relatively respective of each other, at least, which was very promising. The halfling sorcerer quite liked variety and differences, as one of his favorite aspects of adventuring was exploring different, novel things.

Seeing as some of his allies were looking around, he, too, gave that a spin. It wasn't much to him, other than shops that looked particularly interesting (and made the gold in his pockets seem that much lighter), and the division between the wealthy and not. He waited for someone else to make a decision as to their next move. Despite the sorcerer's friendly nature and people skills, he knew himself to live on a mostly impulsive nature.

Roll(1d20)+2: 7,+2 Total:9

[[Sorry, I don't really have much of an idea of what a "check" is, and I have absolutely no idea of when to throw them in. I kinda just guessed at what to roll just now, if that's what's supposed to be done. ]]

[[Thank you so much! I struggle quite a bit with deciding a favorite to play with these two because they bring such different things to the table. Let me know if I need to change anything below! :) ]]

Shamus Hubyr, Male Dwarf - Paladin General Appearance: Ginger, Green eyes, 4’1”, 194 lbs. STR: 3, DEX: 1, CON: 3, INT: 3, WIS: 2, CHA: 3 Items/Equipment: Broadsword, Steel Armor [[Which he crafted himself when working in the mines in his homeland]], small dagger for utility such as cutting rope etc., and he has a coywolf as a pet which he tamed whilst on his way through the forest to where the story begins [[if you don’t allow companions for paladin’s I’ll understand. Though I was curious if perhaps it could be useless and simply be for aesthetics?]] Gold: 139 (83, 56)

Ardryll Folen, Male Half-Elf - Dark, Rogue General Appearance: Red Variation hair, Amber eyes, ashy light grey skin, 6’2”, 170 lbs. STR: 2, DEX: 4, CON: 4, INT: 2, WIS: 2, CHA: 1 Items/Equipment: Dual wield Kukri, various other smaller daggers and throwing knives hidden on his body, which is covered in a black and maroon leather skin tight suit which covers his entire body apart from his head which he has a hood for, his outfit is light armor in order to allow for the most movement possible, short bow (with arrows of course), a small hawk on his shoulder which he has fixed the wing for and therefore it rests there and follows him. The hawk is of no use to him, but he decided to let it along with him despite it mostly getting into trouble. Gold: 149 (52,97)

[[side note: I am now back from work. Let me know how/when I can join in :3]]

Leeda Elesmere

Leeda patted her pocket of coins, it wasn't much, and she worried about spending it all in one night. Of course she could pickpocket a poor unsuspecting person but she didn't feel the need to exercise her skills at the moment. "Should we check out both of them first? Make a decision after?" she suggested, not wanting to spend too much money but only wanting a minimum amount of bedbugs wherever they decided to stay.

Roll: 17 Total 17+3= 20

4 DAYS BEFORE Shamus and Ardryll arrived in much the same was as the others - transported out of their own worlds. However, they arrived in the forest, not outside of the town. They saw nothing but trees and small, harmless creatures around them. Suddenly, they were approached by a beautiful elf, who introduced herself as Aaliyah and explained why they had been summoned there. "Shamus Hubyr, the dwarf paladin. You have a balanced set of abilities. I give you this steel dagger, and as a token of my gratitude, this iron broadsword. You may find that your foes become... paralyzed with fear when this sword is used against them." "Ardryll Folen, the half dark-elf rogue. Dextrous and sturdy. I give you these two steel daggers, two steel throwing knives, and darkwood shortbow with 24 arrows. Lastly, I give you these two mithral Kukri. Magic users will become weaker when these are used against them." After giving them a description of the allies they might find in days to come, Aaliyah wished them luck and disappeared. On their way to the town, Shamus found a coywolf, which he decided to tame, and Ardryll found a wounded hawk, which he tended to.

PRESENT Seliat sees basically the same thing as Sseira, as everything is more or less in plain sight. However, Rhythus' large (especially to halflings) body was blocking the inn's name. Though they are quite conspicuous, amongst the crowd of passer-bys, Leeda notices a half-elf and a dwarf staring them down. In their eyes, Leeda spots something more than the mere curious looks the rest of the townsfolk are giving them. Leeda gets the feeling the two suspect something about their group.

[[That's your cue! I totally understand. I have two favorite characters as well. Maybe you'll meet them one day! Companions are allowed. Heck, as my gray elf Sakura mentioned in the first post, she has a (semi-)useless "item"/companion/boyfriend that she drags around everywhere. I look forward to seeing what the hawk gets into.]] [[Let me explain the idea of checks. You need to roll a check when you are making an action that affects your progress, and when you want to know something important that hasn't been explicitly stated. For example, Vintage rolled a perception check (or "streetwise" check) by adding his characters' wisdom bonuses to his roll because his characters were looking for something in particular that I hadn't mentioned. I've outlined the basics of what ability falls into what check in the first post, under the ability explanations. For example, using long range or stealthy weapons falls under DEX. If you want to cast a spell, that falls under INT... There are some things you don't need to roll for. For example, if you're just following someone or simply conversing with other players/NPCs (not intimidating/persuading). The differences in whether you need a check or not are very subtle, and I will tell you if you need one. If you roll a check yourself, please tell me the reason you are rolling a check ("Seliat wants to see if he's lying") and what bonus you're applying (WIS) so I can double check that you're using the right one. Vintage's format was ideal. Try not to worry to much about it. If you watch the experienced players, you'll get the hang of it. Again, if you have any questions, feel free to ask!]]

Shamus Hubyr:

Shamus turned to his companion, who just days earlier had been a complete stranger. It was odd to him how certain circumstances, such as the need for survival when placed at random in a forest, clueless of what was going on, could bring two very different beings together who, in other circumstances may have even been on opposite sides of a battlefield. With a Scottish drawl he addressed Ardryll, “Do ya think perhaps they are in the same situation as we are? It only seems to make sense that such a diverse group would be brought together as we were...and what’s more, if they are like us, do ya think maybe we should approach them?” He was still uncertain of his companions next moves for less than a week is not quite enough time to anticipate another’s responses, but he hoped for the best you can get from a rogue half dark-elf.

Ardryll Folen:

Ardryll didn’t turn to the voice he heard speaking, but instead continued glaring at the odd group. Once the dwarf finished his ever so long speech, the elf responded with his deep, English accent coated voice, “I suppose you could be right, they may be like us, but either way, it is best to avoid approaching such an interesting target forthright, without first gathering information on them by observation...Though I do believe they’ve spotted us and thus further observation may be either useless or taken as an insult…” Without another word, Ardryll stepped forward and approached the group silently, not turning to see if his companion would follow, though his ears did picked up the sound of heavy footsteps behind him.

[[ Alright, cool, thank you for explaining checks, . Hopefully I'll get the hang of it soon. Also I am so screwed, or rather Sel is, haha. The person who had been teaching DnD things, including character creation, had told me that Charisma is what determines how powerful spells are, so I'd kinda built Sel's character around that. shakes fist Ah well. ]]

[[Really?? Charisma? I wonder why. In any case, it's just a bonus. It mostly depends on your roll. Heck, maybe Seliat can talk his way out of things instead of fighting, haha.]] [[Feel free to keep talking amongst yourselves until a decision is reached. You guys have to meet those two still.]]

[[OOC: Sorry for the shortness, using my ipod to type is a pain]]nn Leesa Elsmere nnLeeda watched the two strangers as they approached. Her eyes flicked around to check for good places to hide or fight before leaving her small group. She didn't travel far before stopping, "Hello, can we help you?" She asked polietly. The thought flickered through her mind that she probably shouldn't have left the group but let the thought pass.